Changing hive types on an existing colony

[jeremy_c]

I had 4 TBHs but 2 colonies absconded the day after I installed them leaving me with 2 empty TBHs. I converted one to accept a standard Langstroth style frame. I had this idea a while ago but failed to convert it in time. I recently picked up a swarm and hived them in a standard Langstroth (Thursday, 6/11). Is there any reason in another week that I couldn't remove the frames from their existing hive and put them into my new hive if I place the new hive at the exact location of the old one? The entrances are different.

Can I do this or should I not bother trying or ... ?

Jeremy

[dragonfly]

I certainly hope it works, because I will be doing the very same thing in the next few days. ;)

I have an established 8 yr old hive that I built a TBH-type box to accept my Lang frames into. If it doesn't work, I'm gonna be sol. Moving supers during thorough hive checks is just getting too heavy for me.

[jeremy_c]

Out of curiosity, how did you do the entrance for your new hive? What about top ventilation? Also, did you add a screened bottom board or make it solid? Do you have any pictures?

A lot of questions, sorry... As for my hive, the only thing I have done is the actual box. I need to make a roof and decide what to do for the floor. Oh, the entrance is in the middle, on one side, at the bottom. It's 3 1" holes drilled that I can use a cork for to close off. On the opposite side on the far ends I have 1 1" hole drilled on each end with corks in them. I can use those to do splits and provide "private" entrances for them.

Jeremy

[dragonfly]

Questions are no problem. :)

I made the entire bottom screened, BUT I built a bottom board for it to sit on with built-in slots to use sticky boards for mite checks. I can leave it ventilated on the bottom if I want, but I will probably use the bottom board most of the time. The entrance is (3)  3/4" holes , plus a small landing board made from a 1x2. The entrances sit up about 7 or so inches from the bottom of the hive. (this seems to be the preferred entrance height on my existing hive from a manually cut hole between two supers) They don't usually use the bottom entrance, for whatever reason. I haven't cut any top ventilation into it, but am still considering that, but there's a small (1/16") gap between the hive body and the inner cover on the front surface that will ventilate it, unless the bees decide to fill the gap with propolis. I think I will just put it out as is, and see what they do. Bees know what they like, not intellectually, but instinctively, and I like to let them have some choices in the matter. :-D
The inner cover is made of luan panel (I think it's 1/4") and 3/4 x 3/8 inch trim pieces and I cut two holes in it. I'm going to post some pix on the photo hosting site I use, and will link them if you want.
I also built a boardman-type feeder and cut a slot for it toward the back of the hive (to help prevent robbing). I built the outer cover out of 1/2" plywood and 1x2's, and covered the top of it and about an inch over the sides with aluminum flashing.

[dragonfly]

Here's a link to pix:

http://www.pbase.com/dragonfly/inbox

[TwT]

I had 4 TBHs but 2 colonies absconded the day after I installed them leaving me with 2 empty TBHs. I converted one to accept a standard Langstroth style frame. I had this idea a while ago but failed to convert it in time. I recently picked up a swarm and hived them in a standard Langstroth (Thursday, 6/11). Is there any reason in another week that I couldn't remove the frames from their existing hive and put them into my new hive if I place the new hive at the exact location of the old one? The entrances are different.

Can I do this or should I not bother trying or ... ?

Jeremy

I am slow, you are putting the lang hive into a topbar or the other way around? as long as the new hive is in the old hives location you should do fine.

[jeremy_c]

I am slow, you are putting the lang hive into a topbar or the other way around? as long as the new hive is in the old hives location you should do fine.

Not really a top bar hive. I don't think it has a name. It's a mix between a top bar hive and a Langstroth hive. Basically it's a top bar hive that has been converted to accept a standard Langstroth frame. It's 4' wide, accepts 32 Langstroth frames in a horizontal configuration. It has 2 follower boards to you can grow/shrink the hive as needed. You use all the common TBH management principals but instead of just top bars, you have full Langstroth frames.

The hive they are currently in is a Langstroth. So, I'll simply pull the frames from the Langstroth and put drop them into my new hive w/o a name. The entrance is in a different configuration, however, it will be in the same place. The entrance is 3 1" holes vs. the standard Langstroth bottom entrance.

Jeremy

[TwT]

as long as the no name hive is in the old lang spot they will do fine. look at it like moving a 5 frame nuc into a 10 framer, as long as the bee's stay in the same spot they will adjust to the new hive.